USC's Jasmine Jones Advances To 100m Hurdles Final At NCAA Track & Field Championships

Jasmine Jones advanced to the 100m hurdles final during the first day of action at the 2022 NCAA Women's Track & Field Outdoor Championships held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. today (June 9).  The women's finals will be held on Saturday, June 11.

• Jones became the only Trojan woman to advance to an individual event final when she took second in her 100m hurdles semifinal with a PR of 12.72 (+0.2).  That time moved her from sixth to fourth on USC's all-time list, knocking reigning World Champion Nia Ali to fifth place on that list.  Jones finished third overall among the qualifiers.  Jalaysiya Smith placed fourth in her semifinal with a big PR of 13.05 (+0.5) and finished 12th overall.  She finished highest among the freshmen which had advanced to the NCAA Championships in the event.  Smith moved into USC's all-time top 10 list in the event at ninth.
• Celera Barnes had a time of 11.13 (+0.4) to finish fourth in her 100m semifinal heat and 10th overall.  She missed by one spot of advancing to her second consecutive 100m final at the NCAA Championships.  Barnes placed eighth in the event at the 2021 NCAA Championships.
• Bailey Lear then had a time of 51.87 in the second women's 400m semifinal to finish sixth in her heat and 18th overall.  It was her second-fastest 400m dash of the season.  Jan'Taijah Ford was eighth in the same heat and 22nd overall with a time of 52.26.  It would have taken a time of 51.16 to advance, which would have been a slight PR for Ford. Ford had a leg issue which limited her to only competing in the 400m dash today.
• The women's 4x100m relay team of Jones, Barnes, Chioma Okonkwo and Samirah Moody had a season-best time of 43.32 to finish fourth in the first heat and 10th overall.  They still owned the second-fastest non-automatic qualifier going into the last semifinal heat, with three teams advancing on time.  In the final heat, the third and fourth-place finishers edged USC's time and the Trojans would miss the final by one position.  Nine of the top 11 finishers posted season-best times.
• The women's 4x400m relay team of Lear, Kimberly Harris, Jones and Okonkwo closed out the day's action for USC by posting a time of 3:35.52 which was fourth in its heat and 16th overall.
• The day's action began with Joy McArthur having a best mark of 214-8 (65.45m) to place 16th and earn second-team All-America honors in the women's hammer throw.  She had a strong series of 213-8, 208-5 and 214-8.  Her mark of 214-8 (65.45m) was better that her career best entering this season and she only threw better in her career at the USC-UCLA Dual Meet this season, when she had a best mark of 218-6 (66.61m), as well as throws of 216-1 (65.88m) and 216-4 (65.95m).  She completes her collegiate career ranking fifth on USC's all-time women's hammer throw list.

Tomorrow will be the final day of the 2022 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships. USC will have four opportunities to score as Earnest Sears III will compete in the high jump, Tade Ojora is in the 110m hurdles final and both of the Trojan relays earned their way to the finals.  USC already has one point in the team competition, as a result of Trey Knight taking eighth in the men's hammer throw final on Wednesday.
 
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